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12 Reasons Why Writer Jamaica Kincaid Is A Total Badass

When she speaks, the revered 65-year-old Antiguan-American novelist does so deliberately — and she’s not afraid to interrupt a question when she sees it fit.

Kincaid, who got her start at the New Yorker during the magazine’s William Shawn era in the ’70s, has produced work that has earned her an enviable list of awards, including an American Book Award for her latest novel, 2013’s See Now Then.

One gets the impression Kincaid is afraid of nothing — something that comes across in her writing, as well. Her work, at times, has been criticized for being “angry,” a criticism she’s rightfully dismissed as invalid, saying her work is only labeled that because she is black and a woman.

Based on an interview with The Huffington Post, here are just some of the many qualities that make Kincaid — and her work — so incredible.

She’s humble. Very humble. When asked about her writing process, Kincaid said it changes with every book: “I don’t really have a standard. I’m not really a professional anything, a professional teacher or a professional writer. I suppose I’m a professional breather of oxygen.”

She doesn’t like taking life too seriously. “I’ve never thought of myself as having a profession because then I’d have to take life really seriously,” she said. “I hate taking life seriously, because there’s time enough for seriousness. What is death if not serious, and that seems to last forever.”